January 19, 2013

By midnight they were safe, sound and excited, and ready to meet a new day in about 5 hours.

The kids will head to Northwestern High school at 6:30 a.m. to play at 8 for a group of judges who will rank them and deliver their results at a Sunday gala, an event which many of the band members are ranking the second most exciting event of the trip.

Check back in tomorrow to see how they played and for an original Erin Brethauer video of the performance.

January 18, 2013

The three-bus fleet carrying the President’s Inaugural entertainment is well on its way, and the special species known as band kid has already revealed some very unique behavioral patterns in their Young Bus habitats.

Here’s an initial overview of what we’ve learned so far about the young musicians:

Wardrobe: Onesies are apparently the official trendy travel garb for the fashionable band kid. And yes, we’re talking footie pajama-esque, all one piece, zip or button-up onesies. It’s considered a major faux-pas to mistake these for pajamas. They are onesies, and the elite (mostly seniors) sport them proudly.

Bus bathrooms: As with the long school bus trips of yore, it’s primarily the lame chaperones and grown-ups who take the front bus seats. The cool kids hang out in the back, but this younger generation of travelers has added a new twist to back-of-the-bus behavior: deafening cheers when anyone uses they bathroom. It’s unclear whether this is a scare tactic or just an outlet for over-excitement at this point – I’ll keep you posted.

Technology: before the gas pedal was even pushed, headphones were in place. We’ve got a pretty solid mix of musical tastes on Bus 3 – from James Taylor die-hards (a pair of ladies in back have been voraciously tweeting to Taylor after learning he would play the Inaugural Festival) to Beyonce enthusiasts.

The official hasthtag for the trip was decided by the onesie-wearing social media wizards on Bus 1 – #AHStakesDC.

Stuffed animals: “We are not too cool or too old for stuffed animals,” a small group of girls have informed me. “Not ever.”

Band geek embrace: So far almost every teen I’ve chatted with has self-identified as a band geek. It’s a badge of honor, and it makes you a part of the club.

Viewing preferences: These days all the charter buses have TV’s, and so far we’ve had a pretty wide range of programming, including TV-friendly episodes of Sex and The City and the modern Disney favorite, “Enchanted.” Curiously, the more salacious HBO series didn’t capture their attention but “Enchanted” has been a total winner.

Stay tuned for more updates from the road and check back at citizen-times.com/inauguration for video of the band’s send-off. Our ETA is around midnight this evening and the band will rise before the sun comes up Saturday to head to their 8 a.m. concert.

January 17, 2013

This may be the one time in Asheville history that snow has cancelled a school event and high schoolers are actually disappointed.

The band has pushed back its departure time to noon tomorrow based on the major snow expected in Washington, D.C. They originally planned to leave at 4 a.m. Friday so they could make a 2 p.m. tour of the Capitol Building, but after forecasts showed the three-bus fleet driving directly into the storm, they called it off.

“The forecast calls for 6-12 inches of snow in the area that we will travel through on the way to D.C.,” band director Will Talley told parents in an email sent out this morning. “We do not want to take a chance at getting stranded on the highway in the overnight hours in Virginia. Waiting until tomorrow to leave will allow for some of the snow to melt, and it will also give road crews a chance to clear the highways. We think that this is the safest option.”

One new event has popped up on the band’s agenda, however. Senator Kay Hagan’s staff tells me the she is hoping to meet with the band on Sunday afternoon to congratulate them on the honor of representing the state in Monday’s parade.

In the meantime, please enjoy this extra sparkly packing list the band has had on display this week. The photo was sent to me by MacKensie Kvalvik, a drum major who also has her eye on Obama’s job. Read about her here if you missed Monday’s profile of our future President. I’ll have to get MacKensie to fill me in on what “bibbers” and “gauntlets” are – I’m still in the early stages of speaking band.

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January 16, 2013

As you start your next few days, facing job pressure or family stresses, take comfort in the fact that at least you won’t have to worry about dropping an enormous iridescent flag in front of the President of the United States next week.

I know I will.

That’s what the amazingly coordinated girls from the Asheville High School color guard are facing, as they prepare to lead the band along the Inaugural parade route on Monday.
The girls held one of the last practices they’ll have before the band embarks on the big trip, and I’m happy to report the drops were very minimal, even in rehearsal.

Among the biggest colorguard fears, I’ve leanrned, are: dropping your flag and not being able to pick it back up (the show must go on, especially in a parade), your flag tape giving way and it actually falling off the pole (fun fact: the flag fabric changes but the poles never do) and my personal favorite fear, hitting yourself, someone else, or perhaps an elected official with a six-foot rubber stick.

Fortunately for these girls and those standing near them on Monday, they’ve been working at these routines for months.
They’ll get to see their costumes for the first time on Wednesday, special ordered for the Inaugural festivities, and have one last rehearsal on Thursday night before they leave dark and early at 4 a.m. (they call it Friday morning, I call it the absolute middle of Thursday night).

Here’s a quick look at their Tuesday rehersal, along with a look at the drum line’s practice session after school. Check out Citizen-Times.com/inauguration to read more about the color guard girls or pick up a copy of Wednesday’s paper.

January 14, 2013

MacKensie Kvalvik already knows the moment she will cry in Washington, D.C.

If her band director, Will Talley, gives the band an approving review after they

finish marching down Pennsylvania Avenue, that will be it.

“If Talley says we did well, I’ll just lose it,” she said with a laugh. “It’s all going to be emotional, playing for the last time together, but that will be it.”

Kvalvik is one of three drum majors who will lead 100 of their peers as they perform in the 2013 presidential inauguration. Asheville High band was the only school in the state to receive an invitation to the event.

Kvalvik, a senior who plays piccolo in the band, has juggled a course load of seven AP classes in her Asheville High career and serves as president of three clubs on top of her drum major duties and applying to Ivy League schools.

Mackensie Kvalvik practices the piccolo and uses her cell phone after school practice with Asheville High School marching band.

She’s a born leader and has had her eye on President Barack Obama’s job since she was 5 years old.

“It sounds naïve, I know, but I’ve wanted to be the president since I was 5,” she said. “It’s just what I’ve always wanted to do.”

The most special part of the trip to the nation’s capital for her, however, won’t be eying the White House.

“The coolest part for me is going to be sharing this whole trip with my little sister, Tessa” she said. “She’s a freshman on the color guard, so this is kind of an ending for me, and a beginning for her, and it’s a really special thing that we’ll get to have this experience together.”

The group will leave Friday, perform a special sit-down concert Saturday morning and march in the Inaugural Parade on Monday when the president is sworn in.

“A lot of the band is based on individual excellence, but what’s really special is that we all earned this together,” Kvalvik said of the honor.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman or a senior, if you’re going to play the rest of your life or are just trying to get through one marching season,” she said.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, you’re in band. And now you get to say you’re in the band that marched in the 2013 Inaugural Festival.”

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January 11, 2013

The Asheville High School band held its last home concert Saturday afternoon before they march down Pennsylvania Avenue in just over a week, and the packed house of doting parents and proud community members jumped to their feet before the 100-plus piece band played their first note.

In a final fundraising push before their journey to the 2013 Inauguration, the band played select pieces they will perform in Washington, D.C.

“Although we can’t actually be on the bus with you,” city councilman Gordon Smith told the group Saturday. “We’ll all be with you, the whole way.”

If you missed the concert Saturday – worry not. There are still two very delicious ways to support your cougars. Mela Indian Restaurant, at 70 North Lexington Ave. downtown, and the Wedge Brewing Company, at 125B Roberts St. in the River Arts district, will both donate a portion of their Sunday earnings to the band.

The band is one of 70 groups from across the country invited to play the Inaugural Festival, selected from a pool of 2,800 who applied. Longtime Asheville High statistics teacher Larry Burke, who came to support the kids Saturday, pointed out to me after the concert that was a 1 in 40 chance.

“A lot of band is based on individual excellence,” drum major MacKensie Kvalvik told the crowd. “But this is really special because we all earned it together. When we were chosen for this honor, it was all of us, working together for the same thing.”

Citizen-Times photographer Erin Brethauer and I will travel with the band to the capital, leaving dark and early at 4 a.m. Friday. Check in later this week for profiles of some of the band members, and details from their last few rehearsals before they take the trip of a lifetime.

Follow the 104 members of the Asheville High School band on their journey to the 2013 Presidential Inauguration, where they will be the only band in North Carolina playing in the Inaugural Parade, as well as in an Inaugural Festival concert. Reporter Casey Blake will chronicle the group’s travels to Washington D.C., leading up to the parade on Jan. 21. Follow Casey on twitter at @CaseyBlakeACT for up-to-the-minute news on all the Inaugural goings on.